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dfusion

We innovate science-driven solutions to advance health and well-being. We are interested in a broad span of possibilities.

Science-Driven Behavioral Health Solutions

dfusion and its partners develop, test, evaluate, scale, and disseminate innovative solutions in the health and education arenas. We also offer consultation services and provide professional development opportunities to the field. We put the Diffusion of Innovation model to work in new and practical ways, building our capacity to expand implementation of both promising and proven interventions. Through our projects, dfusion examines and promotes the steps necessary to adopt healthier behaviors and identifies effective strategies to support every stage of the adoption process. We bring particular focus to health, risk and protective factors affecting youth development, economic opportunity, and technology learning and career paths.

03/27/2026

The students who needed it most gained the most.
In our Fall 2025 pilot, students who entered with the lowest math scores gained over 3 additional problems correct by the end — more than tripling their baseline. Low-confidence students gained nearly a full point in confidence. And students who started with the highest math anxiety saw the largest reduction in fraction fear.

Across every way we cut the data, the pattern was the same.
When math feels like a game, students who have historically disengaged from the classroom show up differently. That is the whole point.

325 students. 9 classrooms. 6 states. Fall 2025.

Learn more at http://fantasysportsmathleague.com

03/26/2026

We're a Tools Competition finalist!!!

dfusion's SkillFlix for Autistic Young Adults has been named one of 10 finalists in the Datasets for Education Innovation track of the 2026 Tools Competition -- selected from 150 teams worldwide.

Our SkillFlix AYA dataset collects conversation-embedded communication skill data to support social and educational interventions for neurodiverse learners, helping level the playing field for autistic young adults navigating relationships, communication, and the world.

This is what we're here for. Thank you to everyone who has believed in this work.

Winners announced summer 2026 -- stay tuned.

!

03/24/2026

Twelve years ago, dfusion was two people working part-time, running on passion and a belief that technology could do something meaningful for the communities that needed it most.
It turns out that was a good bet.
Over the past twelve years, we have grown into a women-owned research organization with multiple patents, a registered trademark, and a science team where every researcher is now leading their own federally funded project. We have built mobile apps, AI-integrated tools, and evidence-based programs for some of the most underserved communities in the country — from young Black men to transgender women to Latinas to autistic young adults.
We have also kept changing, because the communities we serve kept teaching us where to go next.
None of this happened overnight. It happened because of the researchers, educators, practitioners, and community members who trusted us with their work and their stories. It happened because our team showed up — year after year — committed to building things that actually work.
At five years we celebrated. At ten we celebrated. Today, at twelve, we celebrate again — with harder-won experience, clearer eyes, and more conviction than ever that the most meaningful work dfusion will do is still ahead of us.

Read the full story from CEO Tamara Kuhn and learn how far we have come — and where we are headed next.

https://dfusioninc.com/2026/03/24/then-and-now-how-a-health-tech-startup-grew-into-a-patented-women-owned-research-organization/

03/18/2026

The numbers back it up.
In our Fall 2025 pilot, roughly 325 middle schoolers across 6 states showed real gains — students solved an average of 1.4 more math problems correctly by the end of the program, and fraction confidence jumped significantly. The students who needed it most gained the most.
And 100% of teachers said they want to use FSML again.
When math feels like a game, students show up differently.

Learn more at fantasysportsmathleague.com

03/17/2026

Year 12. We're still here — and we have a lot to say about it.

This past year brought cancelled contracts, frozen funding, the end of a 44-year federal program that never should have ended, and decisions we never wanted to make. It was hard. Genuinely hard.

But adversity has a way of clarifying what matters.

We launched — a new division dedicated to game-based STEM learning for K-12 students. Think Fantasy Sports Math League. Think learning that actually sticks.

Every member of our research team is now leading a federally funded project as Principal Investigator. That's not a brag — that's a signal about the depth of talent and commitment on this team.

We're still doing the work: health interventions that reach underserved communities, educational games that change how kids learn, and technology that actually serves people.

Year 12 won't be easy. But easy was never really the point. Read more about CEO Tamara Kuhn's perspective on this year - link in bio to our Insights Posts

03/16/2026

March Madness is here. So is March Mathness.
While your students are filling out brackets, they can also be calculating probability, analyzing player statistics, interpreting real data, and working with algebraic expressions — and they will not realize that is what they are doing.

March Mathness is a free, 7-lesson paper curriculum built around the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament. Designed for 6th grade but adaptable for grades 5 through 8, it meets students exactly where the excitement already is.
Teachers can use all seven lessons or pick just the ones that fit. No tech required.

The tournament is already in your classroom. Now the math can be too.

Download the free curriculum:
https://stemplaylabs.org/

03/09/2026

Here's a question worth asking: when do students actually use mean, median, and mode after a test?
When they're comparing ticket prices across seating sections to figure out the best deal. When they're evaluating a player's impact score before a draft. When they're deciding whether a #12 seed is worth picking in their bracket.
March Mathness — the free curriculum from STEMPlay Labs — builds every lesson around exactly this kind of real-world reasoning. Students aren't practicing math for a grade. They're using math to compete, predict, and win.
Seven lessons. Grades 5–8. Free through March 18.
Because math was always the language of the real world. Now students can see it.
📥 Download free →
https://dhxaj.share.hsforms.com/2whQ6o7biT-a_z9Ytybv7Ig

03/05/2026

S*x ed teaches ALL five SEL competencies. Every. Single. One.
Self-awareness? ✓ Understanding your values and emotions around s*xuality
Self-management? ✓ Impulse control in intimate situations
Social awareness? ✓ Empathy and perspective-taking in relationships
Relationship skills? ✓ Communication, consent, boundaries
Responsible decision-making? ✓ Evaluating consequences, planning for the future
So why don't schools recognize s*xual health education as one of their most comprehensive SEL programs?
The disconnect isn't about content. It's about communication.
While educators know they're teaching these competencies, administrators often don't see s*x ed on their SEL initiative lists. District wellness committees don't automatically include it. SEL frameworks get implemented without acknowledging this obvious overlap.
Here's what needs to change:
S*x educators need to actively make these connections visible. Create alignment documents. Use competency-based language. Show up where SEL conversations happen. Position outcomes as the transferable life skills they are.
Because the evidence is there. The methodology is proven. The skills are being taught.
We just need to speak the language schools already value.
Our new blog breaks down exactly how to reposition s*xual health education within modern SEL frameworks—with practical strategies for educators and administrators.
Link in bio for the full post 🔗
What would change if schools fully recognized s*x ed as essential SEL? Drop your thoughts below 👇
*xEducation

03/03/2026

The 13th Annual Gambling Disorder Screening Day is Tuesday, March 10. Did you know that worldwide, less than 10% of people experiencing Gambling Disorder seek treatment for it? Screening is a low-cost way to raise awareness and help people learn when their gambling has crossed a line. To get more people thinking about their relationship with gambling, you can share the 3-question Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen.

03/02/2026

What does it take to make a student say math went from their least favorite subject to something they actually look forward to?Turns out: real data, friendly competition, and a little March Madness.STEMPlay Labs' March Mathness gives grades 5–8 students real NCAA tournament statistics and asks them to do what analysts do — predict, calculate, and defend their reasoning. Seven lesson plans covering probability, algebra, and data analysis, all built around the tournament they're already watching.

Free for educators through March 18. All 7 lessons, no cost.📥 Grab your free download →
https://dhxaj.share.hsforms.com/2whQ6o7biT-a_z9Ytybv7Ig

02/25/2026

Big news from dfusion's research lab — and the results are reshaping how we train educators for some of the most important conversations happening in classrooms today.
Our MPC: VISTA Phase 1 pilot study just published in a SAGE journal, and the findings? Virtual simulation training doesn't just match traditional in-person training for s*xual health educators — in many cases, it surpasses it.

8 out of 9 key teaching measures. Equivalent or better outcomes. With a prototype.

Here's what that means for the thousands of students learning through Making Proud Choices! nationwide:
✅ Teachers who are better prepared
✅ Consistent curriculum fidelity — no matter where an educator lives
✅ Psychological safety to practice difficult conversations without risk
✅ Access no longer limited by geography or budget

The full MPC: VISTA platform launches in 2026, following a nationwide randomized controlled trial.

This is what happens when game-based learning meets evidence-based prevention. And we're just getting started.

🔗 Read the full blog post — link in bio.
*xEd

02/19/2026

Science in action.
Our CEO Tamara Kuhn reminds us why we do what we do: bridging the gap between research and real-world impact.
At dfusion, we're turning evidence-based science into technology that transforms lives—from s*xual health education to environmental literacy through our STEMPlay Labs game-based learning.

Because science isn't meant to sit on a shelf. It's meant to create change.

Address

230 Mt Hermon Road , Suite 210
Scotts Valley, CA
95066

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm

Website

http://www.dfusioninc.com/

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